Notes From the Field
SEPTEMBER19.2008
LDRF VISITS ‘FORGOTTEN’ COMMUNITIES
Houma: The entire community was mandated to evacuate for both Gustav and Ike; fragile infrastructure was being repaired when Ike hit, they find they have no electricity and no access to basic provisions; local community-based organizations are working well together to coordinate relief efforts; residents have not been able to contact FEMA by phone because lines are busy; cannot access help online without electricity; Chabert Hospital, the charity hospital for the tri-parish area, has major damage and is not projected to open again for six weeks but working with limited service via mobile “mash” units; half of the 42 public schools suffered major damage; the civic center is the FEMA relief station with lines going on for miles – many in outlying areas cannot reach the station because of impassable roads and lack of fuel; 90% of the residents evacuated, but are now suffering from cash flow problems associated with evacuation and small businesses not reopening quickly; most businesses are suffering from cash flow problems, especially service-oriented businesses, which directly affects their employees.
Labadieville: this area has not experienced flooding in living memory, but is now plagued with standing water and contamination from a nearby sewer canal. No relief workers have visited; many residents have no funds with which to escape the contaminated area or evacuate.
Thibodaux, Abbey community: residents here are without basic provisions and many have no means by which to reach the Red Cross relief area which has been set up many miles away. No relief workers have visited. Personal care items are desperately needed for women and children, especially. Power is not slated to return to this area until the beginning of October.
Golden Meadow: transformers litter the streets; houses have been ripped from their foundations by Gustav’s storm surge; roads, home foundations, land all coated by oily sediment sludge that originated in the bayou and wetland areas and were swept inland by the surge – the sludge has been heavily contaminated by illegal dumping and now poses an immediate threat to the health of the entire community, as most residents have no means of avoiding exposure. For many families, transportation by boat is the only option, as the roads have been washed out by the storm; the remaining stretches of highway have been made extremely dangerous by the oil embedded in the sludge covering all surfaces.
Port Fourchon: a 6-7 foot storm surge hit this area; literally no power poles left standing; all structures, including manufactured homes, are either severely damaged or destroyed; chemical drums leaking their contents litter the roadways.
Grand Isle: levee system severely damaged, ranging from erosion and breaches to complete destruction: 85% of the new 8,000 sq. ft. levee system on the east end of the island was breached or completely destroyed; most residential and commercial structures were destroyed as a result.
All of these areas were further damaged and destroyed by hurricane Ike including Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) which includes Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jeff Davis parishes.
• 27,000 residents from SWLA evacuated twice in a two week period when ordered to do so for successive storms. These families incurred expenses associated with the evacuation (gas, food, lodging), and lost wages during this same period. This extra expense and reduced income has placed a tremendous burden on the hard working families trying to pay essential monthly expenses such as rent, medicines and utilities.
• As a result of Hurricane Ike, residents in Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis Parishes experienced significant flooding of homes and businesses. In the neighboring parish of Vermillion, the head of the Long Term Recovery Committee there estimates at this point that there are 3,000 flooded homes. The devastation in Cameron Parish is as bad as or worse than it was for Hurricane Rita in 2005 due to severe water damage. The parish is uninhabitable at this point due to high waters and lack of utilities and services. Cameron remains under strict curfew and most residents are being housed at the Council on Aging. The Salvation Army is providing hot meals. Residents are finally being allowed into the parish to assess the damage to their homes.
